9.0 am Thur Feb. 6 [1941] # WINTER BITES – GALES AND SNOWDRIFTS

Up at 7.30 as Father said he had told Mr Bailey to call for a cup of tea when he left the box. It was a gale last night with snow piling up in wreaks. Mr B said there were drifts every few yards down the New Road and he is so asthmatic. He had had a job to get to the box. Of course he never called. I had made tea, cleared some of the snow out of the porch and dug a way thro’ the drift near the gate. It was an arctic or rather antarctic wind, as it was nearly south, yesterday, and froze the clothes as we put them on the line. It must have been the coldest day this winter. Think the snow will have brought it down a bit. It is fair so far this morning. Jean arrived home Mon. night with a severe cold, was very feverish, got her some of Streets bronchial mix from Hall’s. She will not get to school any more this week. She coughs a good bit night and morning.

Rene came Monday and we made mincemeat and Rene made pastry for m[ince] pies and s[ausage] rolls. I made a bone pie crust. Am very fond of bone-pie (pork). Sent Ron parcel with Pork Pie, s rolls and m pies on Tue and put in the sweets we forgot last time. Sent Emily a chine, brawn and mincemeat. Hope it got there yesterday or it may be delayed as they often get more snow than us. Ron has another week end leave on Feb 15. He would like to get home but am afraid could not get back in time. It doesn’t seem worth 35/0 or £2 for a few hours and so much travelling, especially if he gets 7 days leave about 3 weeks after which he should do. He has saved up enough money so his careful habits continue.

Hallgarth (farmer) bought Mrs Plant’s property. Rene and Mr A were going to the Crows to supper last night. When C’s have a “boiler” they generally ask them in to help finish it up. Very nice too. Of course they go other times. It would be bleak turning out twice last night, tho’ it is so near. E.M.D’s “Silver Wedding” turned out fairly well after all.

Mr Bailey, a coastguard, was believed to have been employed by Joe Jackson, Ron’s former employer.

‘Reak’ (spelt ‘Wreak’ by May) was a word in local use for ‘Snow drifted into a heap’. (See ‘A Glossary or Collection of Words, Phrases, Place Names, Superstitions Current in East Lincolnshire’, Jabez Good, Long Sutton, c1900.)

The ‘New Road’ was Ancaster Avenue, constructed around 1935, between ‘The Point’ and the village centre. The existing Sea Bank Road became known as the ‘Old Road’. (See village map.)

Streets bronchial mix may have been produced locally. There was a pharmacist named Street in Louth.

Farmer William Hallgarth and presumably Mrs Plant who had died were meant here. (See 30 Nov. 1940 and 6 Dec. 1940.)